Wire-stretcher



T. E. SINGLETON.

WIRE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC'.27.1919.

Patented June 29, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT 0mm THOMAS. E. SINGLETON, or SAVANNAH, TENNESSEE.

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To all whom it may concern.- v

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. SINGLE- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Savannah, in the county of Hardin and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Stretchers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved wire stretcher and has for its primary object to provide a very simple and effective device for quickly stretching either wire fence fabric or single wire strands to be secured to the fence posts. I

It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide a device for the above purpose, including a rack bar, a block slidable upon the rack bar, rods connected at one of their ends to the slide block, a guide for the rods on one end of there-ck bar, wireclamping means connected to the other ends of said rods, an operating lever fulcrumed upon the rack bar,'and means mounted upon said lever to cooperatively engage the teeth of the rack bar in the oscillating movement of the lever and shift the slide block to the right with'respect to the rack bar. 7

It is still another object of the invention to provide a device for the above purpose, which is simple, strong and durable in its construction, may be easily and quickly applied in position for use, and can be operated with a minimum of manual labor.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wire stretcher, showing the same as applied for stretching a single wire strand;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3- -3 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the slide block; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the manner of applying the device for stretching wire fence fabric.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates spaced parallel bars which are prop- Application filed peoember 27, 1919. v Serial No. 347,724.

Specification of Letters Pa tent. Patented June 29, 1920.

erly spaced apartand connected together at their endsby the metalblocks 6. Each of these bars is'provided upon its opposite lon gitudinaljedges with the rack teeth 7.

The slide block. shown in detail in Fig. 4

'consistsof two rectangular sleeves 8, one of said sleeves being provided w1th an 111- tegral stud 9"for engagement in a tubular boss 9 formed upon the other sleeve. This bossconstitutes the pivot or axis of the opcrating lever 10. Dogs or pawls 11 are pivotally mounted, as at 12, in slots '13 formed in the lever 10 on opposite sidesof the boss 9. Each of these dogs is pro vided upon one of its ends with'a rectangular plate 14 for engagement with the rack teeth 7 on corresponding" edges of the bars 5. Coil springs 15 are connected at one of their ends to the lever 10 between the bars 5, andthe other ends of the respective springs are suitably attachedto the dogs 11 adjacent to the plates 14. It will thus be seen that the springs 15 normally act to hold the plates 14 in yielding engagement'upon the teeth of the rack barsf5.

To one end of the connected rack bars 5, a transversely disposed guide plate 16 is securely fixed, preferably by means'of the otherwise secured to the edges of the rack bars and to said guide plate. The ends of this guide plate 16, which project beyond the respective rack bars, are provided with openings through which rods 18 are loosely engaged. These rods at one of their ends are loosely connected to cars 19 on the respective sleeves S of the slide block. To the other ends of the rods 18, the extremities of a U-shaped rod or bar 20 are connected. A ring 21 is loosely engaged upon this rod and chains 22-are attached to said ring. To the free end of one chain, a

-reinforcing straps 17 which are riveted or suitable hook 23 is connected, and to the tween the edge of the cam and the body.

plate.

A plate 29 is also securely fixed to the other ends of the rack bars 5 by the reinforcing straps 30, and an eye bolt 3] is se-' cured centrally in this plate and in the spacing block 6 between said rack bars. A ring '32 is engaged in the eye bolt, to which a chain 33 is attached, said chain being provided upon its free end with a hook 34:.-

In the operation of the device as shown in Fig. 1, the wire strand is securely'held in the clamp 24f, and the chain 33 is engaged around one of the fence posts. The lever 10 is then oscillated, and in its movement the plates 14 on the ends of the pawls 11 also engage the teeth 7 on the opposite ends of the rack bars 5 and continuously move the slide block in one direction along said rack bar. The rods 18 are thus drawn through the openings in the ends of the guide plate 16 and the wire strand is thus stretched or pulled until the same is taut.-

7 ing operation proceeds in the manner above described.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with t e accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of the invention will be clearly and fully understood. The device may be easily and quickly arranged in-"position for use, is operable with a minimum of manual labor, and enables the user to very easily and quickly stretch the wire andse-v cure the same to the fence post. It is also .manifest that the device is exceedingly ied within the spirit and scope of the inven tion as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is V In a wire stretcher, spaced parallel rack bars having teeth on their opposite longitudinal edges, rectangular sleeves slidably engaged upon the rack bars, one of said sleeves being provided with a tubular boss and the other sleevehaving a stud thereon engaged in said boss,a lever fulcrumed upon said boss, spring-held pawls pivotally mounted inthe lever for operative engagement with the teeth on the corresponding edges of the rack bars, a guide plate fixed to one end of the rack bars, rods slidably enfgaged in theends of said guide plate, each of said sleeves being provided with a laterally projecting ear to which the rods are connected at one of their ends, means on the other ends of said rods for connection to a fence wire, and means connected to the opposite ends of the rack bars for engagement with the fence post. V

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- his THOMAS E. X SINGLETON,

' mark Witnesses: V

J NO. H. Prrrs, BOB MCDANIEL. 

